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Description French Yule log Ingredients Almond sponge sheet * 3 egg yolks * ½ cup granulated sugar * 1 medium orange, grated rind and juice * ¾ cup almonds, blanched and ground with 3 tbsp granulated sugar * ¼ tsp almond extract * ½ cup cake flour * 3 egg whites * 3 tbsp granulated sugar * confectioner's sugar, in a sifter Meringue base * 3 large egg whites * pinch salt * ¼ tsp cream of tartar, scant * 1⅓ cup granulated sugar Filling base * 12 oz semisweet baker's chocolate melted with ⅓ cup strong coffee * 1 tbsp vanilla extract * 3 tbsp Jamaican dark rum * 4 tbsp butter, unsalted, softened Filling * 4 tbsp butter, unsalted, softened Decoration * 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa, in a tea strainer * confectioner's sugar, in a sifter Spun caramel veil * 1 cup granulated sugar * 3 tbsp white corn syrup Directions Special equipment suggested # A jelly-roll pan about 11 by 17 inches; butter, wax paper, and flour for the pan; an electric blender or food processor for the almonds. # A table-model electric mixer for the meringue. # A pastry bag with ⅜-inch tube opening and a separate tube with l/8-inch opening, for the mushrooms. # A buttered and floured no-stick pas try sheet for the mushrooms. # A serving board to hold the log plenty of wax paper. # An oiled broom handle suspended between 2 chair backs and newspapers on the floor, for the caramel. The orange/almond sponge sheet / preparing the pan # Preheat the oven to 375°F. # Line the jelly-roll pan with buttered wax paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang at each end. # Roll flour in the pan and shake out excess. # The cake batter. # Using a wire whisk or hand-held electric mixer, beat the 3 egg yolks in a 3-quart bowl, gradually sprinkling in the ½ cup of sugar. # When the mixture is thick and pale yellow, beat in the grated orange rind and juice, the almonds, and the almond extract. # Slowly sift in the flour, while blending with the whisk. # In a very clean separate bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites to soft peaks; sprinkle in the 3 tbsp of sugar and continue beating to form stiff, shining peaks. # Stir a quarter of the egg whites into the batter; delicately fold in the rest. # baking the jelly roll. # Immediately turn the batter into the prepared pan; bang it lightly but firmly on your work surface to settle it, and place it at once in the middle level of the preheated 375 degree oven. # Bake about 10 minutes, until it has very lightly colored and the top is springy-do not overbake or the cake will crack when you roll it up. # Cooling and storing. # Sprinkle the top of the cake with a 1/16 inch layer of confectioner"s sugar; cover with a sheet of wax paper and a lightly dampened towel. # Reverse onto a tray or baking sheet. # Then whlle the cake is still warm, holding an end of the wax paper, lift off the jelly-roll pan. # Carefully peel the wax paper off the cake. # Sift another 1/16-inch layer of sugar over the cake and roll it up in the damp towel; place in a plastic bag to keep it from drying out, and refrigerate. # The cake must be cold before you fill and frost it. # Ahead-of-time note: the sponge sheet will keep nicely 2 or 3 days in the refrigerator or you may freeze it for several weeks—but to prevent its breaking, be sure to let it defrost completely before unrolling it. The meringue base-Italian meringue # Beat the egg whites in the electric mixer until foaming throughout; add the salt and cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks are formed. # Turn mixer speed to slow. # In a small saucepan bring the sugar and ½ cup water to the simmer, remove from heat, and swirl the pan until the sugar has dissolved completely and the liquid is perfectly clear. # Cover the pan tightly and boil to the soft-ball stage (238°F). # Using moderately slow speed, gradually whip the hot syrup into the egg whites; increase speed to fast and continue at high speed for 5 minutes, until egg whites form stiff shining peaks and have completely cooled. # Plan to use the meringue promptly. Meringue mushrooms # Preheat the oven to 200°F. # Scoop a quarter of the meringue into the pastry bag and squeeze out 8 to 10 half-inch domes on the pastry sheet, to serve as mushroom caps. # Hold the ⅛-inch tube over the end of the pastry bag and squeeze out 8 to 10 conical shapes ¾ inch high, for the stems. # Bake about 1 hour in the middle level of the oven, until the meringues push easily off the pastry sheet-they should color no more than a darkish cream. # Return unused meringue to the main mixture. # Ahead-of-time note: meringues may be made in advance and frozen. The filling and frosting # Beat the smoothly melted chocolate into the meringue, along with the vanilla, rum, and soft butter. # Remove two-thirds of the mixture to a bowl and refrigerate; this is the frosting. # Beat the additional half stick of soft butter into the remaining meringue this is the filling. Filling the cake # Unroll the sponge sheet and slice a quarter inch off the long sides so that the cake will roll easily. # Spread the filling over the top of the sheet. # Roll it up from one of the small ends and you have made the log shape. # Neatly slice a narrow slanting piece from each end of the log. # With a small knife dig a hole in an upper side of the log and insert a piece of the scrap to simulate a bump or a branch. # Place the log seam-side down on the serving board and slip double sheets of wax paper under the edge of each side and the two ends-to catch frosting spills. Frosting the log # Beat 2 or more spoonfuls of sifted cocoa into the frosting mixture to make it a spreadable consistency. # Reserve 2 spoonfuls of frosting for the mushrooms. # Leaving the two ends free, frost the cake using a flexible metal spatula, then scumble it with the spatula and a fork to give it a rough bark-like look. # Ahead-of-time note:. # Refrigerate the log if you are not continuing; it will keep nicely for a day-if you can find a non-mashing cover for it. Final decorations, just before serving the mushrooms # With a small knife, pierce a hole in the bottom of each meringue mushroom cap, insert a bit of the frosting (or softened butter) into the hole and then the pointed end of a meringue stem. # Arrange the mushrooms in tasteful clusters upon the log and sprinkle the log with a dusting of confectioner"s sugar to give a snowy effect. # Dust the tops of the mushrooms with cocoa powder tapped from the sieve. # The caramel veil. # Bring the sugar to the simmer with the corn syrup and one-third cup water in a small saucepan; when the mixture is completely dissolved and clear, cover tightly and boil to the caramel stage. # Let it cool two to three minutes, until it forms thick strands when lifted with a fork. # Then dip the fork into the syrup and wave it over the broomstick, to form long hanging threads of caramel. # The finale. # Lift the caramel strands off the broomstick; drape them over the yule log. # Decorate the serving board with sprigs of holly if you wish, and the bûche de Noël is ready to serve. Category:Almond Recipes Category:Dark rum Recipes Category:Orange Recipes Category:Cake Recipes Category:Semi-sweet chocolate Recipes Category:Christmas Desserts Category:Cocoa Recipes Category:Coffee Recipes Category:Corn syrup Recipes Category:Christmas Desserts